


the harbor

by halfaday



Series: doyu drabbles [7]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: M/M, Physical hurt/comfort, dare i tag this fluff, soft gentle pining not too strong or heavy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-20
Updated: 2020-09-20
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:08:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,060
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26560408
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/halfaday/pseuds/halfaday
Summary: Internet warrior Dongyoung and club warrior Yuta’s usual night.
Relationships: Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung/Nakamoto Yuta
Series: doyu drabbles [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1906981
Kudos: 22





	the harbor

**Author's Note:**

> au where doyu are flatmates, dongyoung spends his nights fighting people on the internet, while yuta fights people in clubs. (johnyong are old friends of dongyoung, by whom he always stands)  
> \+ JeTée is a pun on johnny and taeyong's initials. jetée = pier

_JeTée's_ 200315 radio show plays on the screen — off-air, Taeyong whispers something to Johnny, and the other gives him a smile, tries to hide obvious discomfort. It's odd, or something — Yuta's gaze is drawn to the flickering cursor in the comment bar; the unfinished comment waiting to be posted.

_Are you not tired of spreading nonsense like this? Assuming things you have no part in? If you'd done your research, you'd have learned that Johnny was sick on that day - he had a fever, and he_

Yuta looks up — Johnny Does seem under the weather: his makeup doesn't quite manage to hide his dark circles, and his smiles, usually perpetual, are rare. (Or something: Yuta believes you can only start to know people after meeting them three times, and he has sadly only seen the guy twice.)

'And he what?' he asks.

Dongyoung doesn't look up: he keeps on disinfecting his hand, keeps on working the bandage around it — nevertheless knows what he's talking about, because he's _sunnyrain26_ and his brain stores more knowledge than anyone's.

'He felt like shit that day. So much like shit he couldn't come back the next day.'

On the screen, Taeyong throws his partner a worried glance — picks up the question Johnny is supposed to answer, and happily fulfills his duty in his stead. Yuta has met him thrice — he's allowed to say his smile is sweet.

'Are you going to word it like that?'

'No.' Dongyoung puts medical tape by his thumb, applies slight pressure on it so that it Sticks. 'I'll be clear and concise. _He had a fever, and he had to sit out the second half of the interview because of it — you can look up_ 200316 Johnny _on Twitter, you'll see what I mean.'_

The higher tone Dongyoung takes on to imitate his internet self has Yuta looking away from the screen — has his gaze peeking through Dongyoung's bangs, and wandering on his eyes, his nose — what he can see while Dongyoung, bent over the pillow on his legs, tends to him. (He's kind of cute like this: whenever Dongyoung is focused on something, he'll frown, slightly, and he'll pout, or nibble on his bottom lip. He'll puff his cheeks out, slightly, and look like the bunny Johnny says he resembles. It's something that haunts Yuta, when he lies in bed in the late hours of the morning. _Sunnyrain26,_ with a maximum record of two hundred and fifty-six comments left in a single day, an average of twenty-two comments (five of them essays) a day, chews on his bottom lip while he wraps a bandage around his hand, and he looks -)

'There you go. Right hand fixed. Will require you to actually stop fighting randos in clubs for a few days.'

Dongyoung holds his wrist up like it's a bag full of dog's poop and he's scared of touching it — lays it in Yuta's lap with the same precaution, wearing a careful, _careful_ expression on his face. Childish.

(Cute.)

'You know I can't do that.'

Yuta winces as Dongyoung applies antiseptic cream on the cut on his left arm, makes a fist with his now-bandaged hand.

'That hurts.'

'Sorry,' Dongyoung mumbles, genuine — giving the skin by Yuta's elbow, far from the wound, an apologetic pat. 'But I mean it, for your hand. You should take a day off.'

He carefully unwraps the large band-aid that lay on his pillow — even more carefully applies it, cold fingers wrapping around Yuta's forearm, eyebrows joining together as he makes sure to apply it flawlessly. Yuta wonders — how he manages to see anything through his bangs, if this skill of his comes with being an internet warrior for (as far as Yuta knows) one year and five months. Perhaps the gods of comments have blessed him with amazing sight — perhaps Lasik did wonders to him, to the point he might be able to apply to the local superhero club. Perhaps. (Perhaps Dongyoung is simply used to it, and Yuta, because he won't stop observing him, has started creating scenarios that'll justify his staring. Perhaps it's simply easy, and Yuta is, simply, bewitched by it because it's Dongyoung. Perhaps.)

(Probably.)

'If I take some time off and next time I show up there's someone replacing me, it's the end of Nakamoto Yuta as we know him.'

Cautious fingers once again handing him his arm back, Dongyoung straightening himself up to put his tools back into his first aid kit — knees brushing against Yuta's, resting there as Dongyoung rolls up the remaining bandages.

'Don't be silly,' he says — his tone, as always, conveying _silly_ differently than others, giving it a caring note, rather than patronising — something unique to him; comforting. 'I'm sure none will. And even if they did…'

Dongyoung looks up, meets his gaze — seems to hesitate, eyes blinking a few times too many, cheeks taking on a faint shade of red.

(He pulls himself together, tongue darting out to lick his lips.)

'Even if they did, Nakamoto Yuta will keep on existing, won't he? Your Nakamoto Yuta has made a living out of fighting people in clubs, but my Nakamoto Yuta also lives here, and he's free to stick around for a few months even with no income.'

The words aren't news, but they're unfamiliar in Dongyoung's mouth — they're sincere, and they reach Yuta, graze his heart. They settle down, and bring warmth with them, soothe him and make today — tomorrow, perhaps — seem a little better.

'Really?'

Dongyoung nods — makes sure to look at him in the eye, and never once shy away. Kim Dongyoung, _sunnyrain26,_ internet warrior and #1 defender of _JeTée,_ rumoured to be a hateful flatmate and mean human being — replies that _yes, really, he means it —_ and Yuta has to refrain from smiling. Fails, because the Nakamoto Yuta they both know keeps his heart on his sleeve — but Dongyoung smiles, too, and the mistake doesn't seem so bad anymore.

'Alright, then. Perhaps I'll take a day off, then.'

'Good.'

This time, Dongyoung looks down, goes back to cleaning up his tools — but it's only to hide his widening smile, and Yuta — Yuta lets him, savours the moment silently. On his screen, _JeTée_ laugh, Johnny obviously in pain, but sincere — the cursor flickers and flickers, and for once — just like he always does — _sunnyrain26_ heals a bit of the world.

**Author's Note:**

> and remember: do not engage in fights on the internet
> 
> [twt](https://twitter.com/millesoirees)


End file.
